A Whisper in the Wind
~With thanks to Little~ Prologue "No! No! Jumpstar! Silvershine! Anyone! My kit, oh StarClan, my kit!" A mother's wail filled the night. The medicine cat and leader ran into the nursery. Silvershine gasped, horror filling her face, and Jumpstar's mouth dropped open, shocked. A small white kit lay in a pool of it's own blood, more blood spewing out from a cut in it's throat. Raineyes' paws were covered with the kit's blood, and her mouth. She had been trying to stop the bleeding. She sobbed, diluting the blood with tears. Silvershine gently went up to the mother, and led her out of the den. "Have a look. I can not think this was an accident." she whispered to the leader on the way out. Jumpstar cautiously stepped up to the body. The slit was clearly not just an accident; it was evidently an intentional murder. By a cat's claws. "Cloudfeather, come here," The deputy walked into the den, head hung after hearing the terrible news. "What do you think of this?" In the medicine den, Silvershine was trying her best to comfort the distressed mother. "What happened, exactly?" Raineyes took a deep breath, and told her story. "I had just got back f-from hunting with, um, Birdpaw and Thistlelegs, and we put our prey on the pile. Thistlelegs told Birdpaw he could take prey, being his apprentice. And then I took two pieces, two, um, voles, I think, one for me and one for," She started sobbing again. "S-skyk-kit. But I got to where I'd left him s-sleeping, and he was bleeding to death. I screamed and screamed and tried to stop him dying and..." Silvershine left the miserable she-cat sleeping - the medicine cat had managed to calm her down and give her poppy seeds. She went and sat with the ginger leader and pale deputy. They started to discuss the death, certain it was a murder. Then a figure appeared from seemingly nowhere. "There has been a murder here, hasn't there?" Chapter 1 The three cats stared in shock, unsure what to think. "W-who are you?" Jumpstar asked after a moment of silence. The strange, small she-cat purred. "I know you will probably not trust me, and that is fine. But I can help. I am known as Detective Leopard. I travel around, from Clan to other groups of cats far away. I am known as Detective Leopard for the reason that I seem to always be where there is crime, murder or other. A 'detective' is a twoleg who solves such crimes as these, and I do the same. I will help you with this, but you need to trust me. If not, then I shall go." The three cats were still sat there, surprise on their faces now rather than shock. The silvery medicine cat looked at the other two, who nodded slightly, and mewed rather grouchily, uncharacteristically "If you must. I don't see what any cat can do for the poor kit's mother now anyway." She waltzed off, light on her paws, back to her den. Jumpstar looked from the deputy, the silent deputy, to Detective Leopard, and then to the floor. "Can you really figure out who killed Skykit?" Jumpstar asked, quietly. "I can try. And I have been extremely successful in the past. But first, will you take me to the body?" The Detective asked carefully, as if thinking. Jumpstar tensed, and narrowed his eyes. He then suddenly relaxed, and leaped away from where they had been sat. Cloudfeather nervously followed, and Detective Leopard strode across camp, wondering what the body would be like. The leader sat by the entrance. "I don't want to be seeing my daughter's dead kit again, thank you." Jumpstar snapped sharply. Cloudfeather still was quiet. The detective pushed her way into the den, taking a deep breath as the young kit's body lay in it's own dried blood. She peered, and made a hmm noise, thinking. "Well?" Jumpstar demanded. "I'm going to need a closer look." Chapter 2 Detective Leopard leaned over the small body. Most of the blood had dried, and it was easy to see the wound. It was very precise, and had not met much resistance, it was a clean, sharp cut. It must have been a cat the kit trusted. Kits are very trusting at that age though... No other kits in the nursery, I'd assume that most of the warriors would be mostly trustable, but not this much, leader, deputy, medicine cat.... You have to trust them... She stepped closer to further inspect the wound. It was about half a mouse tail long, and deep. There was a slight jagged edge, where the kit had tensed, or tried to pull away. Detective Leopard pulled away, face crumpling, thinking. "Jumpstar?" she said, attracting his attention as she went back out into the clearing. "Yes? What is it?" he asked tensely. "I have some questions, and also a list of cats I'd like to see. I believe I have some suspects." Jumpstar nodded slightly, and the Detective asked her questions. So, I now know that Skykit was 5 and a half moons old, nearly an apprentice; her mother was Raineyes, her father was Thistlelegs, her grandmother was Cloudfeather and her grandfather was Jumpstar. She was not quick to trust anyone. She was thinking of becoming Silvershine's apprentice; they were friends. "Detective? Who is it you need to see? I can arrange it now." Jumpstar offered. Thinking quickly, the Detective repiled "Yourself, Silvershine, Cloudfeather, Raineyes, Thistlelegs, Littlepaw and Birdpaw." Jumpstar narrowed his eyes for a second, and then padded off to find the Clan members she had asked for. Chapter 3 The small, pale cat trotted out of Jumpstar's den. The Detective had been allowed to do private interviews in the leaders den. So far, she had collected statements from all the cats but Birdpaw. The story so far, as they all seemed to agree on, was this: ''Raineyes had gone on a hunting patrol with Birdpaw and Thistlelegs. During that, Birdpaw had disappeared for a short amount of time to catch a squirrel, a few moments at most. They then returned, adding one squirrel and two mice. Birdpaw was excused and went to the apprentice den to eat with Littlepaw. Thistlelegs took prey and talked with Raineyes for a little while before Raineyes excused herself to go and see to Whitekit. Thistlelegs went to eat with the warriors, Jumpstar and Cloudlegs were in the leader's den discussing the Clan. It was not more than a few seconds after Thistlelegs had sat down to eat that the cry from the nursery came. Raineyes' paws were covered in the kit's blood; she was distressed that it had died. '' Detective Leopard had a fairly good idea of who the suspects were now. Her next task would be to present her findings to the cats. She also wanted another look at the body, to see in more evidence could be found. She knew it had been moved, but the wound would still be there. It was, and Detective Leopard looked closely at it this time. It was dainty, and not made by a big cat. That ruled out Jumpstar and Thistlelegs as they were both strong male cats. Category:Fanfiction Category:Leopardclaw's Fan Fictions